Reaching out to your mom on Mother’s Day not only sustains an emotional bond — it can also reduce her stress, increase her happiness and help avoid social isolation, says Virginia Tech’s Rosemary Blieszner, co-author of Spiritual Resiliency and Aging: Hope, Relationality, and the Creative Self.
“People lead full, busy lives. Sometimes getting caught up in everyday demands on time and energy makes us forget the importance of acknowledging the people we love,” said Blieszner, an alumni distinguished professor. “Traditions such as celebrating Mother’s Day help us pause and take a moment to do just that. Keeping close relationships close sustains emotional bonds; having close ties also promotes health and well-being, because feeling loved and loving others reduces stress and elevates happiness.”
Social isolation and loneliness are indicators of functional decline in older adults and poor health among children 20 years later.
“So this Mother’s Day, show some love to all the moms in your life – biological or adoptive mother, a mother you admire, a person who acted like a mother for you, someone who taught you a crucial lesson, the grandmother who was always there for you.”
VA Tech Alumni Distinguished Professor Rosemary Blieszner is also interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. She is co-author of Spiritual Resiliency and Aging: Hope, Relationality, and the Creative Self.
